Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to optical communication systems, and more particularly to an automotive optical communication system that may be used to provide communication between a car and any of a plurality of mobile or stationary transceivers.
Related Art
More and more consumers are purchasing items and services over electronic networks such as, for example, the Internet. Consumers routinely purchase products and services from merchants and individuals alike. The transactions may take place directly between a conventional or on-line merchant or retailer and the consumer, and payment is typically made by entering credit card or other financial information. Transactions may also take place with the aid of an on-line or mobile payment service provider such as, for example, PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. Such payment service providers can make transactions easier and safer for the parties involved. Purchasing with the assistance of a payment service provider from the convenience of virtually anywhere using a mobile device is one main reason why on-line and mobile purchases are growing very quickly.
Moreover, people are becoming quite accustomed to always being connected (e.g., to the Internet), for example via their mobile devices, and thus having communication options (e.g., phone calls, text messaging, etc.), information options (e.g., via a web browser), and payment options (e.g., via a payment service provider) always readily available. In the automotive industry, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems (e.g., which may provide entertainment, safety and maintenance information, communication options, and navigation) are both an area of challenge and opportunity for new ways of keeping people connected. In some examples, a vehicle's infotainment system may connect to a driver's mobile device, thereby allowing the driver to use voice commands to control vehicle systems (e.g., radio, navigation, climate control, etc.) as well as interact with their mobile device (e.g., to read and/or send text messages, make phone calls, etc.).
Despite the advances of such in-vehicle systems, external vehicle communication (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-fixed point, etc.) has remained hindered in part by the use of radio-based communication, which may be limited in range due to power, technology, and/or spectrum limitations. Where external vehicle communication systems do exist, they often require additional dedicated and/or paired hardware, at an additional cost. As one example, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags (e.g., toll tags), which can be costly devices, are often installed onto a vehicle as a method of communicating with a toll booth as the vehicle passes near the toll booth, resulting in a charge to a driver's toll tag account. In addition to the additional cost of such toll tags, their operable range is often limited, as described above. Moreover, the information such RFID tags provide is generally limited to data used for identification and/or tracking purposes.
Thus, there is a need for an automotive optical communication system that may be used to provide external vehicle communication (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-fixed point, etc.) which leverages existing vehicle lighting systems while also providing customers (e.g., including drivers), merchants, account providers, payment providers, and others that may be involved in a purchase transaction with a reliable way to communicate and complete such transactions through an optical communication channel in a low-cost manner, at a distance, and in some cases, while a vehicle is in motion.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.